April 4, 2007

Reminders:

The wonders and power of God’s story

What can we learn from the people that we study

Review

Simeon

Luke 2:25-35

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Simeon’s Characteristics

• Righteous and devout
• The Holy Spirit was upon him
• Patient
• He held Jesus in his arms

Anna

Luke 2:36-38

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna’s characteristics:

• A prophetess (holy woman)
• 84 years old
• A widow (bottom rung of society)
• Lived at the temple - worshipped

Simeon and Anna

• They didn’t do anything miraculous or spectacular.
• They didn’t see anything miraculous or spectacular.
• They only a saw a baby and yet because of the Spirit, they knew exactly who that baby was
• They only a saw a baby
• Simple, ordinary people
  • Selected to see Christ
  • Chosen to be included in God’s Word
• God touches all ages
• Imagine young Mary standing next to Anna holding her baby
• To learn from Simeon and Anna:
  • Wait on the Lord - He is true to His promises
  • Be satisfied with the Lord’s promises - they were both satisfied by an infant
  • Follow the Spirit

Quick Mention

Wise Men (Matthew 2)

• From the east
• What religion might they have been? Hindu?

The Shepherds (Luke 2)

• In the fields near Bethlehem
• Who else might have kept sheep in those fields?
• Was it the first time angels had visited those fields?
• The Holy Spirit was familiar with those fields because He had inspired David to write many psalms there.

The Innocent

Matthew 2:13-18 - The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

This part of Christ’s story raises difficult questions

• Imagine Christ:
  • the hope of the coming Messiah
  • the birth of the King of Kings
  • the Lord of Lords
  • the Word became flesh
  • the Prince of Peace
  • Immanuel - God with us
  • Simeon seeing God’s salvation
  • Anna speaking of the redemption of Israel
• Imagine what Christ means to us:
  • love
  • peace
  • joy
  • freedom
  • holiness
  • communion with God
• Yet
  • Christ’s birth brought death to innocent children
  • Satan, working through Herod, still had his effect even as Christ was bringing light to the world
  • Humanity and divinity struggled - as will always happen
  • There will always be “Herods” in the world driven by Satan that seek to bring darkness into the world
  • As children of God and those that wear the name of Christ, we can bring the Lord’s light into that darkness

Christ’s Birth to Ministry

John the Baptist

From Luke:

• Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth (1:5)
• They were elderly and Elizabeth had been barren (1:7)
• He was to be a Nazirite from birth (1:15)

• Numbers 6 - Nazirite vow:
  • No wine or fermented drink
  • Nothing from the grapevine - no grapes or raisins
  • No razor is to be used on his head
  • Cannot become ceremonially unclean

• Will be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth (1:15)
• Was about six months older than Jesus (1:36)
• Was related to Jesus (1:36)

Not only the bridge from birth to ministry - also bridge from the O.T. to the N.T.

 

• Had the spirit and power of Elijah (1:17)
• Similarities to Samson through the Nazirite vow
• Similarities to Isaac (Abraham and Sarah) because of the nature of his birth
• All four gospels mention John

What Jesus says about John:

Matthew 11:11-14

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Matthew 11:9 - “more than a prophet”

Prophecies:

Isaiah 40:3-5 (quoted in Luke 3)

3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Malachi 3:1 (quoted in Matthew 11) - "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.

From Adam Clarke:

The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition, or took a journey through a desert country, sent harbingers before them, to prepare all things for their passage; and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments.

Diodorus’s (Greek historian) account of Semiramis (Queen of Assyria) into Media and Persia:

“In her march to Ecbatane, she came to the Zarcean mountain, which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not be passed without making a great compass about. Being therefore desirous of leaving an everlasting memorial of herself, as well as shortening the way, she ordered the precipices to be digged down, and the hollows to be filled up; and, at a great expense, she made a shorter and more expeditious road, which, to this day, is called from her, The road of Semiramis. Afterwards she went into Persia, and all the other countries of Asia, subject to her dominion; and, wherever she went, she ordered the mountains and precipices to be leveled, raised causeways in the plain country, and, at a great expense, made the ways passable.”

John and Jesus

• Their births are prophesied in the Old Testament
• Their births are miraculous
• Their births are announced by Gabriel
• Theirs are the only births recorded in the New Testament
• Both had God-given roles to fulfill His plan